Dearest Brother
by Amaranthyn
Summary: Even after Dirk left Zephyr Town, Ivan still cares for him and sends him letters. Dirk doesn't send any back. Based in ToTT. Onesided Dirk/Anita, Ivan/Anita. Inspired by Cam/Kamil


**Can't say I remember seeing any brotherly Ivan/Dirk fics about how Dirk's moved to Konohana... Well, here's one.**

 **Onesided Dirk/Anita, Ivan/Anita, Onesided Cam/Lillian, Ash/Lillian**

 **All mistakes are my own.**

 **T for minor swearing.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon**

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 _"Dearest Brother,_

 _I cannot fathom why you are refusing to answer my letters. Perhaps it's because you are too busy to pick up a pen and write? Or maybe it's because my words are not reaching you, little brother._

 _I know not of what have become of you, Dirk. I worry of you every day; Anita is worried as well. There are countless nights I toss and turn in my bed from thinking of your fate._

 _Please respond._

 _With love,_

 _Ivan._

 _P.S: I believe Anita may be pregnant… But I cannot be entirely sure. We have sent for a doctor."_

The boy in red sighed, placing down the worn letter. He stared at the scripture from afar; green eyes hazy and unfocused. He took off his bandanna, placing the article on the table next to the letter. His fingers lingered on the fabric, playing with the orange feather. It was the same feather from his old hat.

The young man sighed, shaking his head before his thoughts went further. It was 6:26 A.M; almost time for him to start his daily mail route.

Picking up his bandanna again and placing it on his head, the foreigner excused himself from the table. He lifted his mail bag onto his shoulder, briefly forgetting about his brother's written words that were left on the table.

Dirk liked carrying the mail. It gave him something new to do. He always thought – whilst living at home – that he would open his own café one day and serve costumers there. He changed his mind though; the mail route in life was much easier and gave him more time to himself. It wasn't that he liked being by himself; it just gave him more time to think and so he didn't accidentally fall for the wrong person… Again.

"Morning Dirk," Kana called out with a smile, waving at his pet-loving companion.

"Good morning," the younger boy greeted, reaching into his mail bag.

"Ah, a letter from dad, I assume?"

The boy smiled, lifting his hand out that was grasping the crisp white envelope. "Seems so. Have a good day."

Kana smiled and nodded, turning away back to his horses as he pried open the letter.

The once childish male sighed as he handed out various letters and post cards to the villagers of Konohana City. He would greet people as normal; they mustn't know a thing. Only Yun seemed to see him broken behind his green eyes. Even Raul couldn't see the truth and they used to live in the same town before!

"Good morning, Dirk," the kind, elderly lady greeted gently.

Dirk smiled, returning the gesture, "Morning."

He filed through the letters in his pouch; the size from this morning had diminished quite a lot.

"Thank you, deary."

The boy shrugged, hesitating slightly. "No problem," he mumbled as he handed her the envelope. All of his energy had evaporated.

Yun sighed, turning to go into her kitchen. "Sit for a moment and rest. I had just put on a pot of green tea I do not wish to go to waste."

Sighing, the boy obliged the older woman's suggestion, kneeling down on one of the cushions laid out for customers.

Within moments, she was back with two piping hot cups full of green, watery liquid. She placed one in front of Dirk before kneeling across from him, her tiny hands wrapping around her portion. The woman stared at him expectantly.

The boy squirmed in his seat, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze. "What?"

"You did what Cam did, didn't you?"

The green-eyed boy blinked, narrowing his eyes at her. "Pardon?"

Yun just rolled her shoulders, glancing away as if she knew nothing. "You ran away, just as Cam did when Ash and Lillian got married. Only it was when your brother and your love got married."

The boy froze, his features paling. "How… did you guess?"

"I may be old, but that only means I've seen this before. I can see the pain behind your eyes, Dirk. You're hurting but yet, you aren't doing anything about it. Just because you ran away from your problems doesn't mean they won't catch up. I know he's still sending you letters."

He silently cursed to himself, staring at the concoction of tea leaves in front of him. "I thank you for your hospitality, but I really must be going…"

The tea shop owner said nothing as she bowed her head as the boy left, leaving his tea untouched.

Dirk really liked being alone; being alone meant that he could think freely. He could let his thoughts turn into wistful daydreams of a world where he and his love would be married. She would love him more than she did his perfect older brother…

 _"Dearest Brother,"_ the boy started to think on accident, the retelling of the letter in the deeper, familiar voice of his brother.

 _"I must say this: we all really miss you. It was a shame you had to leave so suddenly… Anita really wished you could've attended the wedding. I, myself, wished as well; it wasn't the same without my darling little brother. It went off without a hitch; however, it could've been better with you there._

 _I ended up selling our old house; you wouldn't mind, would you? I moved in with Anita so I could be closer with her. Had you have returned, Stuart and Ethyl would gladly put up with you, free of charge. The family who moved in is quite nice; they have a child – a boy – of their own. He's so full of energy… He reminds me of how you used to be._

 _That's one thing I hope we both have one day: a family. A loving wife, (an) adoring child(ren)… I spoke to Anita about it. She merely blushed heavily before rushing off, saying something about leaving her cat outside even though all pets were present and accounted for. She's so cute… Ah, sorry, I shouldn't get all lovey-dovey, hm?_

 _I would love if you came back for a visit. We would surely feast on your favourite: cream croquettes._

 _With love,_

 _Ivan."_

Dirk frowned in disgust at himself, having reread the letter over and over enough to memorize it by heart. The words pained him; like a bullet to the chest. His brother was living the happy, simple life with the one and only girl he's ever fell for.

The red-clad boy huffed as he reached the peak of the mountain, having decided he take the long route around instead of the tunnel that burrowed through it. He walked up to the railing that offered the view of the other, far-off mountains in the region. He almost lost himself in the moment. Almost.

 _"Dearest brother,_

 _It bothers me so that I haven't received word from you. Are you alright? Are my words even reaching to you? I write this with a worried heart, Dirk, but a hopeful one. Perhaps you are merely busy and you have received this letter and my last._

 _Between my last letter and this, I regret to inform you that Ethel had passed away. She passed quietly and painlessly in her sleep. Stuart and everyone else are taking it hard, but we are all bounded together and helping one another mend our wounds. Daisy hasn't gone a day without crying since. Kevin has been missing you greatly, if I forgotten to mention. He hasn't exactly been the same since; his pranks no more. I haven't seen him interact with any sort of bugs recently._

 _Anita must've thought about my words of about having children as I caught her speaking to Freya about it. As a mature and intelligent woman, Freya was assuring my wife that everything would be fine and that there was no need to worry. I also caught her asking Nellie and Claire who were delighted to hear that there was a possibility of a new member of this large family._

 _Have you found love yet, Dirk? I know you must have a crush; it's a brother's intuition._

 _With love,_

 _Ivan."_

"Brother's intuition my ass…" Dirk spat hotly, deciding to leave the area.

He walked down the steep slope, watching his every step. His distracted thoughts were broken as he watched foxes chase after rabbits playfully, scurrying off into the brush when they heard his clunky footsteps. The boy merely smiled, unbothered by their behaviour.

The sound of loud clanking and rumbling startled the youth, being approached by a large white horse and buggy.

"Oh, Dirk! What a pleasant surprise seeing you here. I thought you'd take the tunnel."

The female whose voice resonated off of top of the horse jumped down. She fixed her yellow and red plaid dress, smiling up at the mail carrier.

"I… just wanted a little fresh air is all."

"I see. Any letters?" she jumped hopefully.

Dirk pulled out a letter addressed to the girl, making her squeal in joy.

"It must be from Phillip! It feels like forever since I last heard from him!"

The mail carrier felt guilt rush through him, trying not to think of his own older brother. "Didn't you see your brother at your wedding, Lillian?"

Lillian nodded, ripping open the letter. "Yes I have, but it doesn't make me miss him any less."

Dirk nodded stiffly, adverting gaze away from the woman. "Well, I ought to go. I still have mail to deliver."

The girl nodded absentmindedly, eyes working the paper. "Take care."

With that, the boy retreated away from her, continuing his clamber down the hill.

 _"Dearest brother,_

 _Is something wrong? Was it something I said? Surely you are not mad at me; you would've told me, right? I'm seriously starting to worry of your well-being, Dirk. Please don't do this to me. Perhaps I'm merely a worrywart… But you must answer to me soon or I will be lead to believe my letters are not reaching you. I can only hope so, little brother, despite the fact I silently wish you are getting them and are just refusing to answer._

 _Everything is pretty normal back here. Sherry and Lloyd had decided to get married; it made Mayor Felix cry his eyes out in joy. It made me… bitter, though. I wish Mother and Father could've been there for my wedding almost as much as I do you. Dirk, if you are ever to marry, please tell me. I would love to come and meet your bride-to-be. I'm sure Mother and Father would've loved to come too, so please let me know when you finally decide to settle down._

 _Anita finally said yes. She finally agreed to give birth to my child. Isn't that wonderful? You'll be an uncle! We haven't done the deed yet… We want to make sure we have all of the preparations in order beforehand so we are not rushed last minute .I can hardly wait myself. Just think of it; me, as a father. If you were to ask Anita, she'd probably say I was already more of a father to you than a brother. For that, I am truly sorry about it… it was never my intention._

 _Perhaps that's why you won't answer my letters?_

 _With love,_

 _Ivan_

 _P.S: What do you think we should name our to-be child? Anita's looking for a male and female name… just to be sure. I was thinking possibly Charlotte or Aaron. Suggestions?_

"I don't care about your stupid baby…"

The male regretted saying it out loud, but his thoughts were just making him more irritated by the second. Of course he cared about his to-be niece or nephew… if it wasn't belonging to her.

He never really thought of having children, but thinking on it now, he'd want a daughter. She'd have amethyst eyes and golden locks like he would've been mother. As for a name? He could only think of something stupid like "Kandi". He wasn't very good at names.

The brooding male finally made it down the mountain, passing the church as he walked into town. Bluebell was much easier to go about; the streets and buildings were neatly organized in comparison of Konohana. It had more of an eastern feel of it; it reminded him of his old hometown, Zephyr Town.

"Oh, hey Dirk!"

The emerald eye boy blinked, not realizing he was face-to-face with the strawberry blonde rancher.

"Good…" the boy looked around, trying to figure out the time. "Afternoon?"

The rancher chuckled, "Yep. How's your day going?"

"Pretty swell. Yours, Ash?"

Ash smiled, looking around the stone town he called home. "It's going pretty good. Millie gave birth to a beautiful baby calf early this morning… It took a lot out of me."

Dirk nodded slowly, briefly recalling Anita complaining how long it took to birth a calf. "I see… Well I have to go. Mail to deliver."

The older boy nodded, eyeing the mail carrier's bag.

"Sorry. No letters from Cam yet."

"Oh…"

He felt bad for leaving the rancher hanging but he did have a deadline to meet. The boy passed through town, giving the residents the parcels addressed to them. Laney was crestfallen when he had to tell her that there was nothing from her friend and Howard was even more so upset.

"Does he not love us…?" Howard sniffled behind the counter.

Dirk sighed, not really in the mood. "No… he's probably just busy."

 _"Yeah, busy…_ " he thought bitterly. If Cam was truly going through what he was, then he won't be sending any flower-scented letters home any time soon.

"Uh, could I order some curry rice, please?"

Howard blew his nose in his hanky, nodding sadly. "Yes, yes… Of course…"

Dirk sat himself in a chair, placing his bag on the table. He groaned as he rolled his sore shoulder, sighing as the muscle came loose.

A single letter toppled from the bag and onto the floor. Dirk just rolled his eyes, bending down to pick it up when he noticed the address.

It was addressed to him.

"Here you are," the café owner sang, apparently over Cam already as he placed the requested dish in front of him.

"Oh, thanks," the boy nodded, placing the already forgotten letter back into the bag as he dug in.

As the caramel-hair coloured youth chewed his food, his memories recited another one of Ivan's letters.

 _"Dearest Dirk,_

 _You… still haven't responded to my letters. Not once. Are you responding and I'm just not getting them? Are you even getting my letters? Was there some sort of miscommunication between us? Dirk, I beg of you, write back for the well-being of your brother._

 _You know, not writing back has put a lot of strain on Anita. You were her best friend after all. Not hearing from you is tearing her apart; she feels it's her fault somehow or another. I caught her crying one morning, fearing that you hate her._

 _Do you hate her, Dirk? Do you hate me? Do you hate us? I must know… I wish to mend what was broken if so._

 _Maybe I'm over thinking this… It's probably just nothing, correct? Big brother Ivan is just being the worrywart her is._

 _Oh, I nearly forgot. As I mentioned in my last letter, I thought Anita was pregnant. The doctor came since then… and she is. She's pregnant with my child, Dirk. You're going to be an uncle. Isn't that fantastic? Even though you might not even get this letter… But on the small chance you will read this… would you come and visit? The good doctor estimated the due date would be about two seasons from the time he came… which means my child will be born approximately Spring 17h. Isn't that exciting?_

 _We are still thinking of names… But we don't know the gender. We are keeping it a secret until the time comes._

 _With love and worry,_

 _Ivan."_

He finished his meal quickly, scarfing the remnants of the curry down. He quickly picked his mail bag up, paying Howard for the meal and left without so much of a goodbye.

"It's been over a year since his last letter…" Dirk pondered. "There's no way it could be him…"

The youth started his trek back home but found himself taking the tunnel. His overbearing curiosity was making his legs move faster than they have for a long while. His mind was racing: who sent that letter? What was it about? Why was it addressed to him?

The questions bounced and echoed in his mind just as his heavy, fast-paced footsteps resonated against the walls of the constricting tunnels. Despite him basically running back home, the sun had already set by the time he reached the other side into Konohana. Without wasting any time, Dirk took large steps to rush back to his single bed house, shutting the door rather loudly as he threw the basically empty mailbag onto the table. The single letter from earlier slid out slightly into view, reminding the receiver it still existed.

Dirk huffed as he hugged his back against the door. He stared angrily at the letter before finally giving in and taking a few cautious steps forward. He whipped the forming sweat from his brow, ripping his hat off of his head in the same manner as that morning. The letter in which he was rereading earlier was still there, left untouched.

Taking a slow, deep breath in, the boy gingerly reached his hand out to grip the corner of the letter. He turned it around so he could gently peel the lid away, noticing the familiar scent wafting up from it. No doubt in his mind – the scent combined with the hand writing – that this was another letter from Ivan. He peeled the letter open, sliding the piece of paper from its holder.

The paper was folded into threes, which Dirk unfolded. He took a sharp inhale before his mind started to read the final letter in his older brother's voice.

 _"Dirk,_

 _It's been over a year since my last letter. I gave you ample time to respond to at least one letter… but I received none. I know not if you are dead or just simply ignoring me… There's that off chance that these letters haven't even seen the light of day for all I know… But I have the sneaking suspicion you are reading them._

 _If you are wondering, life here is good. Stuart departed to be with his wife, leaving the inn in Daisy's name. She and Angelo have recently engaged, marrying within the coming season. Sherry and Lloyd announced that she is with child and will be expecting soon. Anita's brother, Hero, have moved into town to be closer to his sister, finding love with a mysterious shrine maiden, Emiko, who apparently no one but he and Anita knew about. Freya's found love outside of town, as with Antoinette. Kevin, Cindy, and Lauren have each grown into fine young women and men; the three are as close as ever. There's debating amongst the adults whether or not Kevin will choose Cindy or Lauren to be his girlfriend, but I have my bet that he's waiting. As for the rest of the adults, not much has changed aside from the wrinkles and new grey hairs._

 _If you're still wondering… yes. We had a child; a beautiful baby boy. He looks just like you, Dirk. Minus the amethyst eyes, he's a splitting image of you. We hadn't named him Aaron just as I was planning… instead his name is Dirk – named after a great young man I once knew._

 _This will be my last letter to you as I refuse to hold onto the past any longer. You may be my little brother Dirk – and you always will – but it's foolish of me to be sending you these letters if there is no one to respond. I'm sorry._

 _I love you Dirk. Don't you ever forget that._

 _With all of the sorrow and love in the world, I bid you farewell._

 _Ivan."_

Hot tears welled in the boy's eyes as he felt a burning sensation in his nose. He closed his emerald springs, putting his head down in his lap as he fought the tears that threaten to break free.

The boy gripped the paper, on the verge of ripping it t threads but he didn't. He couldn't; it was his brother's words. As much as he hated him for stealing the one girl he loved… Dirk couldn't do that to something his brother wrote so sincerely.

The boy reread and reread the letter over and over, tears flooding down his cheeks. He finally gave up trying to stop himself, placing the letter onto the table as he sobbed loudly. His shoulders shook violently as he let all of his emotions run free.

The tears of the boy dripped onto the letter, drying with the salty tear stains that were already there from the writer.

Dirk suddenly got up, deciding quickly he was going to bed. As he got undressed and put on his nightwear, the green-eyed boy caught a glimpse at the calendar. The date was Spring 17th.

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 **Feel free to review. I might get the energy/inspiration to write a fic similar to this about Cam... Well, "Kamil" as Story of Seasons call him.**


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